The Guns of Navarone (1961)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Alistair MacLean (novel)
Carl Foreman (written by)

Release Date:

22 June 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War | Adventure

Tagline:

Still! The Greatest High Adventure Ever Filmed! [re-issue]

Plot:

A British team is sent to cross occupied Greek territory and destroy the massive German gun emplacement that commands a key sea channel.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Commando | Greek Resistance | Traitor | Mountaineer

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Capt. Keith Mallory
David Niven	...	Cpl. Miller
Anthony Quinn	...	Col. Andrea Stavros
Stanley Baker	...	Pvt. 'Butcher' Brown
Anthony Quayle	...	Maj. Roy Franklin
James Darren	...	Pvt. Spyros Pappadimos
Irene Papas	...	Maria Pappadimos
Gia Scala	...	Anna
James Robertson Justice	...	Commodore Jensen / Prologue Narrator
Richard Harris	...	Squadron Leader Howard Barnsby RAAF
Bryan Forbes	...	Cohn
Allan Cuthbertson	...	Maj. Baker
Michael Trubshawe	...	Weaver
Percy Herbert	...	Sgt. Grogan
George Mikell	...	Sessler

Runtime:

158 min | Sweden:156 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Greek | German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm optical prints) | Dolby (Restored version)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/12 | West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Approved | USA:Not Rated (DVD release) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:G | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:U (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) (uncut)

Filming Locations:

Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

David Niven initially felt that he was badly miscast in the offbeat role of a corporal, but later said he considered it to be one of his best performances despite being too old for the part.

Goofs:

Continuity: Toward the end of the film, when the big guns are firing at the British convoy, the two guns fire consecutively, not simultaneously. However, after the second firing, the camera cuts to the convoy, and we see two splashes in the water, one on each side of the ship.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Prologue Narrator: Greece and the islands of the Aegean Sea have given birth to many myths and legends of war and adventure. And these once-proud stones, these ruined and shattered temples bear witness to the civilization that flourished and then died here and to the demigods and heroes who inspired those legends on this sea and these islands...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Canadian Bacon (1995)

Great action adventure.

The Guns of Navarone is one of my favorite movies. In 1943, as the story goes, 2,000 British soldiers lay marooned on Kiros, an island within the Aegean. Preventing the rescue of these soldiers are two massive, radar-controlled Nazis guns. Keith Mallory (Gregory Peck) is recruited by Commodore Jensen (James Robertson Justice) and Major Franklin (Anthony Quayle) and is given what is pretty much a suicide mission: infiltrate the enemy-held island and destroy those giant guns before it is too late. Mallory's team of crack-commandos include Andrea Stavros (Anthony Quinn), who plans on killing him when the war is over, 'Butcher' Brown (Stanley Baker), explosives expert Miller (David Niven), young hot-shot Spyros (James Darren), and Franklin. "What took place in the next six days become the legend of Navarone".

This film is exciting and entertaining, and although it is a long one (2 1/2 hours), it rarely plods. It's always fun to see Nazis getting their butts kicked, and Navarone certainly does that well; There's a sequence early where the heroes, disguised as mere fisherman, stop their boat for an inspection. It's all routine until the bad guys are suddenly wiped out and blown-up without a second thought from the heroes. There is a storm sequence that seems to go on forever and during much of the sequence, dialog is kept close to nil. The rock-climbing scene is tense and attention grabbing, even some 40 odd years later. Each of the principle actors give strong performances, and there are several sequences that really stick out in my mind: A battle of words between Mallory and Miller about whether the mission is really worth it, and Stavros acting to be a poor fisherman from Cyprus.

Rating: **** ( out of ****)